


Phanniemay 2013

by kimurasato



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-05-10
Packaged: 2018-01-24 04:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 19,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1591850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimurasato/pseuds/kimurasato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A theme-a-day collection taking place in May that was created by beccadrawsstuff on tumblr. It contains various pairings and some non-pairing stories, check the summary on each chapter to see what characters are involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bruises

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: It wasn't innocent fun to him. It was pain and torment. And it was too much.  
> Characters: Poindexter

His fingers trembled as he pushed a button on his stiff white dress shirt through the eyelet. Each one he undid showed a little more of his pale flesh dotted with dark bruising that he knew from past experiences would take a day or more to fully disappear. If that. The next day would be the same. More bruises would be added to mix, turning his frail body into a mess of black and blue, ugly purple blotches.

The shirt hit the floor of his room, and he hugged his arms about his body, staring at his reflection in the mirror on the back of his closet door. His normally neatly combed raven hair was mussed up, sticking up at odd angles. His thick round glasses hung slightly askew upon his face. He couldn't live like this any longer. Every day was agony. The bullying was unbearable. He thought if he just ignored it, it would get better. But it didn't.

His parents merely told him it wouldn't matter when he was older when he became the boss of the jocks. It was a phase of life that everyone went through at one point in their lives. His teachers pretended not to notice the abuse he suffered, favoring the jocks that won stupid football games instead of the nerds and geeks of the school. He was small and weak. He couldn't protect himself or fight back when the jocks cornered him. It could always be worse. He guessed. But thinking that didn't make things any better.

Grabbing something from his bag, he walked over to his bed. His back pressed against the wall as he drew up his knees, staring down at the object in his hands. His heart ached more than his body, tears burning in his eyes. It was his only way out, the only way for him to escape the cruelty of bullying.

Closing his eyes, he fitted the barrel of the gun into his mouth. For a moment, his finger seized, unable to perform the simply action of curling, as fear gripped him tightly. But after a deep breath, his finger squeezed the trigger, and the resounding bang echoed in a small bedroom.

Fifty years later, another raven haired teenager stood within that same bedroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror and frowning at the dark bruise forming over his left eye. A tired sigh escaped him after another day of the same old bullying.


	2. Flying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A boring night taking pictures takes a turn when he gets swept off his feet.  
> Characters: Phantom x Fenton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the shorts I wrote for the Snow Colored Lens AU before I started on the full length story.

He snapped another photograph of the large ballroom with its grand chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling, decorated with what could be thousands of little crystal droplets. Danny felt ridiculous in his suit that looked like he bought it for two dollars off a clearance rack compared to the fancy clothing worn by everyone else attending the function. They probably all spent at least five hundred dollars on their outfits. That was the whole reason he hated being a photographer at these sorts of things. It only served to remind him, painfully, of how much poorer he was than they were.

"Oh, sorry," Danny mumbled after he accidentally backed into someone. He gulped when he glanced over his shoulder to see into whom he bumped.

"Quite all right, son," replied the silver haired man with half a smirk upon his face. The look in his dark blue eyes unsettled Danny. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Very much, Mr. Masters, Sir!" Danny's gaze darted around the ballroom nervously. Why would the host of the party bother to speak to a lowly photographer such as himself?

"Please. Call me Vlad." The smirk remained upon his face as Vlad lifted the wine glass to his lips and took a sip of the deep red liquid. "I'm glad to hear it. I like to know all my guests are having a good time." He leaned down, and Danny forced himself not to step away when the man's face came a little too close to his own. "Even the ones getting paid to be here."

"And now a word from our host," came the voice of an announcer over the din within the ballroom, "Vlad Masters."

"I suppose I have to make my speech now." Vlad sighed out dramatically, like it was such a chore. After placing his wine glass upon the tray of a passing waiter, he walked toward the stage, a hand patting Danny on the shoulder before he departed.

A shudder that he couldn't explain ran through Danny as he watched Vlad walk up to the stage, smiling and bowing his head to the applause he received from those gathered in the ballroom. Thankfully, there were other photographers from the newspaper there to capture the moment. Danny took the opportunity to slip out onto the balcony during the speech. The cool night air felt wonderful after being crammed into the crowded ballroom for hours. He sighed as he leaned onto the railing around the balcony, staring up at the starry night sky.

"That's a good look on you."

Danny spun around at the voice, and a soft flush crept onto his cheeks when he met gazes with the white haired ghost. "What are you doing here?" This didn't exactly seem like the kind of thing a ghost would care to attend. It was rather dull, and even Danny had moments when he thought he might fall asleep after catching bits and pieces of the boring conversation of the wealthy adults.

"I was out patrolling," Phantom explained, not even touching down upon the balcony, floating a few inches from the ground. "Then you appeared." He tossed a glowing green eyed glance back at the ballroom. The door remained slightly ajar, and Vlad's speech drifting out to them. "This doesn't seem like it would be your kind of thing."

"It's not, but it's a job." Danny shrugged as his insides twisted with nervous excitement. He saw Phantom many times before when snapping pictures of him, mostly for the newspaper, but this was only his second real encounter with the ghost, actually speaking to his hero. Who he had a small crush on.

A mischievous look crossed Phantom's face, an impish grin appearing. Danny barely had a moment to think before the ghost scooped him up into his arms and lifted him into the night sky. With a startled yelp, Danny held on tight, arms squeezing around the neck of the ghost, as he clamped his eyes shit.

"I don't think this is a good idea!" Danny shouted, not daring to open his eyes.

Phantom chuckled, and his cool breath washed over Danny's neck. "Not scared of heights, are you?"

Danny frowned at the teasing note in the ghost's voice. "No," he snapped, but he doubted Phantom missed the fearful tremble of his body. "I just don't think I should leave the party. I'm supposed to be taking pictures."

"They can get along without you for an hour. Or more." Phantom paused in his flight, and Danny only knew that because the wind stopped whipping past them, and the slight queasy feeling in his stomach eased. "Open your eyes."

Danny refused at first, scared of glancing down and seeing how far away the world was from him at the moment. Then he cracked open his blue eyes, slowly peeking at the world around him. At the mistiness around them, his eyes snapped wide open. His hold on the ghost's neck loosened somewhat as he pulled back and swept his eyes all around them. They floated just barely above a cloud, and overhead was the twinkle of a thousand stars.

"Wow," Danny breathed out, mouth gaping open at the vision.

"I was thinking the same." When Danny dropped his gaze to blink at the ghost, Phantom leaned forward and stole a kiss from the stunned human held within his arms.


	3. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Some changes pass unnoticed while other changes are hard to accept.  
> Characters: Vlad x Danny

The first time he stared at himself in the mirror after the accident, he didn't recognize the face staring back at him. It was same face that stared back at him for twenty-four years, and despite a little cosmetic surgery after the accident left his face scarred, it looked exactly the same, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that it was all wrong. He touched a hand to his cheek, running his fingers over smooth flesh no longer covered in those disgusting pus filled boils from the ecto acne. The doctors kept him confined to his room, still wanting to monitor his condition even though they said they cured his ecto acne after many long, suffering months. He wouldn't be attending his college graduation.

The ghost powers were odd, a strange side effect from the blast of exposure to the ecto radiation from the Proto Portal. He first discovered them while he was forcing down that gross sludge they called hospital food that he could barely tolerate and often left him running for the bathroom. He raised the dinky plastic fork to his mouth, uncertain of what exactly it was that he was eating for lunch, when his teeth clamped shut with a clink, chomping down on air. With a surprised blink, he glanced down to see that his arm vanished. His screams brought a nurse running into his room, but by the time she arrived, his arm was visible again.

After that experience, he tested his powers, toyed with them, as he learned about what he could do with this new found ability. During his stay in the hospital, he amused himself with freaking out some of the nurses and doctors, especially on the night shift. But his attention became focused on one thing. He might have missed his chance to confess his love to Maddie during college, but he would find a way to win her heart once he was free of the hospital. If every ghost had an obsession, Maddie was his obsession.

He had plans to woo her. But when the pristine white envelope with fancy swirly writing appeared before him, his heart ached painfully. He could almost feel it withering away into a cold, dried up husk as he read the wedding announcement for Jack and Maddie. _His_ Maddie would be marrying that idiot, that _buffoon_? It was unacceptable!

The change came subtly. He barely noticed the minor differences here and there as the time passed. His ghostly appearance soon came to reflect the monster within him, the dark, unlovable ugliness that he became as rage and bitterness and hatred consumed him. He didn't know if it was possible for a ghost to change their obsession or have more than one. He never came across any such example throughout his time. But if it were possible, his anger toward Jack would be his second obsession.

Vlad hunched forward in his chair, sitting by the fire in his study as he stared unseeing at the red carpeted floor. The ghostly obsessions ate at him, was all he thought about since the accident. But would achieving either satisfy him? Would he gloat with pride if he ever managed to kill Jack? Would the void inside him be filled if Maddie confessed her undying love for him? As the thoughts twisted inside his head more and more, he felt a growing pain of loneliness inside his chest. No one could ever love him. Not the monster he became. It was a fact that he was quite slow to realize, but now that he was coming to understand that, to see the truth of it, his ghostly obsessions were falling apart. He was becoming unstable with no course of action to cling to. His powers were starting to act up again, like when he first discovered them, and it began to scare him.

Hands cupped his cheeks, and Vlad lifted his gaze, meeting with bright blue eyes. "Why are you still here?" He tried to turn his head away, but the hands held on firmly.

"Because I refuse to leave you alone," Daniel answered firmly as he tilted his head forward to bump their foreheads gently together. "Because I care too much about you to let you do this to yourself."

"You shouldn't care," Vlad snapped back. "No one should care."

Daniel sighed, his warm breath washing over Vlad's face. "Maybe I shouldn't. Not after everything you've done. But I do care. And I believe in second chances. And I know there's still some good inside you. Why else would you have saved my dad?" Daniel smiled as his arms snaked around Vlad's neck. "You never let yourself become completely evil."

Closing his eyes, Vlad shook his head. Daniel could spout out all the pretty words he liked, but that didn't make any of them true. All Vlad could see in himself was a monster.

"I'm not giving up on you," Daniel whispered, his lips brushing against Vlad's own. A small tilt of his head sealed their mouths together, silencing any argument Vlad might try to make.


	4. Hide and Seek Crossover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: He wouldn't let it change him. He refused to become a killer just to win.  
> Characters: Vlad, Danny, and Skulker

Danny frowned at the group gathered before him. Three men wearing cocky grins. But there were more, lurking within the shadows, hidden from sight among the trees of the forest. His blue eyes remained focused on the leader of the group, who was a tall man with a neon green Mohawk and matching goatee. This wasn't their first encounter since the beginning two years ago, but he hoped after the last one that he wouldn't run into him again.

"I've grown tired of this game of hide and seek," Skulker announced, though his intentions were obvious from the number of goons that he brought with him to take out a single player.

Danny knew it was his own fault after killing off the boss at the very beginning and gaining the reputation as a beater. Many people grew to hate him after that event, and Skulker decided to make it his personal mission to bring down the beater, like he would achieve that greatest fame in all the game if he did so. Danny sighed to himself. Didn't any of them realize that player killing was just the same as murder? Until someone won the game, their players' lives were exactly the same as their real lives outside the game.

"This is pointless, Skulker." Danny reached back, drawing dual blades from their sheaths upon his back. One was a deep ebony, and the other a brilliant ivory. "If you fight, you'll lose." His eyes shifted to a glowing green as he glared at Skulker. A wind picked up, whipping about his white coat as black bled over the fabric. His now snow white hair pulled and tugged, dancing before his eyes, as the wind swirled outward from him, pushing back some of Skulker's goons.

"You don't scare me." Skulker drew out his own sword, a large wide bladed claymore that probably would have made many other players struggle under the weight. One good swing of that sword, and Skulker could cleanly sever a man in half.

Screams broke up the tension as the two of them glared at each other. Danny's gaze darted around, and he could catch sight of the blood splattering upon the trees even in the darkness. A roar snapped his attention back to Skulker. Danny brought his swords up, crossing them to catch the claymore on its downward swing. Skulker bore down on him, and Danny gritted his teeth under the pressure of the other's strength. He needed to be careful or Skulker would slice off a limb or two.

Pulling back, Skulker was quick to strike again, thrusting his blade at his opponent. But Danny was much swifter. He leaped into the air, avoiding the attack. Sailing overhead, he swung his swords, sharp blades of air lashing out at his opponent and slicing through his body. Landing neatly upon his feet behind Skulker, Danny turned to face his opponent, his gaze glancing to the life bar over Skulker's head.

"One hit, and you're dead," Danny said gravely after seeing how far into the red his attacks drained Skulker's life.

"I'll beat-" Skulker shouted, a potion in his hand, but before he had the chance to use it, a blood red blade pierced through his chest.

Danny jerked, shock jolting through his system as he watched Skulker's body drop to his knees as he slowly dissolved away, his life in the game over as much as it was in the real world. Gulping, Danny turned his gaze to the killer, and he met with glaring red eyes.

"You shouldn't be so soft, Daniel."

"I don't need you to rescue me, _Vlad_ ," Danny growled, his hands tightening around the hilts of his swords.

A grim frown appeared upon the man's face. "Do you think leaving your opponents alive will somehow change them? He would have kept trying to take your life, Daniel. Your enemies deserve no favors from you."

"But I don't have to turn into a murderer like them," Danny responded firmly, mouth pressing into a thin line as he returned his swords to their scabbards.

"You can't win this thinking like that." Vlad stepped closer to the young man. "Or have you already forgotten the cost of not acting?"

Danny's glare darkened at that statement. His heart tightened painfully in his chest, even if it was merely a simulation of pain. At the start of the game, his hesitation to act left his friends dead. "I'll win this game. And I'll do it without taking a single life." He met Vlad's cold gaze with that vow engraving itself into his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard theme to write last year. The crossover part (as hide and seek was the alternative theme) since I'm kind of picky about crossovers and don't like a majority of them. Anyway, the crossover I chose for this was Sword Art Online, which I was watching at the time I wrote this.


	5. Vlad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A light played before his eyes, and he grabbed for it.  
> Characters: Vlad and Danny

Carefully, he stalked upon that little light glowing within the darkness. His hands held out, slowly enclosing around the light before it could escape his grasp. A half smirk tugged across his face as he stared down at his clasped hands, trapping the flickering light.

"Daniel," Vlad called out, and the small boy paused in his chase to turn back to the man.

He knelt down on one knee as young Daniel toddled over to him, nearly tripping as one sandal, a touch too big for his small feet, tried to slip free. When he reached the man, Daniel held onto the man's wrists as Vlad slowly opened his hands for the boy to peek inside. With a gasp of wonder, Daniel reached his small hand inside, but Vlad closed his hands again before the boy could grab at what he held. Daniel pouted as he lifted his gaze to the man.

"You must remember to be gentle with living things," Vlad cautioned the boy, though the comment made him feel like a hypocrite. He knew he wasn't always the kindest person in the world. Opening his hands again, Vlad allowed the firefly to escape into the growing darkness. Daniel followed it with eyes, his mouth gaping open as he watched the little light dancing in the sky.

Vlad glanced back toward his home, the mansion he bought upon moving to Amity Park. His gaze landed first on Maddie, who sat in one of the lounge chairs with her daughter in her lap. They were reading a book together. Ever since the young girl first learned to read, she spent a majority of her time with her nose in a book. Vlad glanced toward the other occupant within his backyard. Jack stood at the grill, cooking the food for their end of the summer barbecue.

"Not too long before your first day of kindergarten," Vlad commented, drawing the boy's attention back to him. "Are you excited about it?"

Daniel frowned, lowering his gaze with a soft flicker of green showing through the brilliant blue of his eyes. Vlad sighed inwardly when he caught sight of that. The boy was still young and his control over his powers weren't the best yet, and that made Vlad worry about his young apprentice. Daniel was quite expressive with his emotions, causing both Jack and Vlad to scramble for excuses or distract Maddie and Jazz whenever Daniel let the otherworldly glow of his eyes shine through. Vlad was trying his best to help the boy reign in his emotions, control them enough to keep his powers from showing. The young weren't good at that kind of thing, and Vlad feared what would happen if anyone at the school noticed. His own parents never worried about this sort of thing, having homeschooled him until he was at an age where wouldn't expose his abilities.

"No," Daniel said in a soft voice, shaking his head.

Vlad frowned at his answer. "Why not?"

"What if I don't make any furends?" Daniel's lower lip jutted out as he lifted sad eyes to the men. "What if they make fun of me? Be - Because I'm different!"

Vlad sighed as he cupped the boy's face. "You'll make friends." His gaze slipped toward where the others were. Jack was taking the hamburgers and hotdogs off the grill. "You don't have to have a lot of friends. As long as you have one who will stick with you to the end, that's all you need. And," he turned a smile toward Daniel, "they'd be silly not to love you." He grabbed Daniel under the arms, lifting him up into the air as the boy squealed with laughter.


	6. Redesign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: She decided, in a way, to free herself from the shadows of being a clone.  
> Characters: Valerie x Dani(Elle)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little something related to Doctor Dash.

It took months for her to master the skill. She probably could have learned how to manipulate the ectoplasmic makeup of her ghostly form if she simply went to her creator earlier. Danny's jumpsuit hadn't changed in design since day one, and she doubted that he even realized that he _could_ change the way his ghost half looked if he ever wanted to have a new look.

Things were still shaky between them, and she still didn't like the idea of relying on Vlad to learn anything about what she could do with her ghost powers. Just because the man claimed to be repentant of his past sins, she didn't know how much Vlad truly meant what he said after she, Valerie, and Danny defeated him for the last time. He looked like a horribly broken man, leaning back against what remained of the wall in his laboratory. Back in human form, his silver hair loose from its usual ponytail, clothes ripped to shreds, blood seeping from his wounds, Vlad stared at them with those dead eyes like he finally lost the last tiny thread he had left to life. It was almost painful to recall that image to her mind.

But at twenty-two, physically anyway, she decided a change was necessary. She lived as "Danny's clone" for ten long years, and now she wanted to be seen as her own person, breaking away from simply being a shadow of her source genetic coding. She shared a lot of similarities with Danny beyond her looks. They both loved comics, liked the band Humpty Dumpty, shared an interest in space.

But she was more than just a copy. Danny took up writing and became a fairly successful novelist while she went into music, learning to play guitar strangely enough from Ember. She smiled as she thought about their frequent jam sessions that they held in the Ghost Zone, occasionally putting on shows for the other ghosts.

"That shade of purple looks good," Valerie said, appearing behind her in the reflection in the mirror. "Are you done playing around with you new look yet, Elle?" She yawned tiredly, trying to hide it behind one hand.

"I think so," Elle replied as she looked over her reflection. It wasn't a total makeover in appearance. She left some of the same elements like the way the white curved from outer thigh down to near inner knee. She removed the black, exchanging it for a light purple, almost lilac in shading to differentiate herself from Danny's black and white jumpsuit. She also added a large white belt that hung at a slant upon her waist and a sleeveless purple hoodie. With a sharp nod, she felt satisfied with the changes after running through a number of various combinations after Vlad taught her how to manipulate her appearance.

"Good. I'm tired." Valerie hooked her fingers around Elle's, tugging her away from the mirror. "Let's go to bed." Elle followed along as the rings of light shifted her back into her human appearance.


	7. Favorite AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny arrives at the scene of the fight, but it really just isn't his day.  
> Characters: Phantom x Fenton

Danny ran down the street, breathing hard after the long distance jog to catch up to the fight taking place. Sometimes he really hated that he couldn't afford a car or some other mode of transport. A motorcycle always seemed cool to him, but he was still trying to save up for a newer, better camera. He was still a few hundred dollars away from being able to afford the one that he had his eye on now for months.

He skidded, nearly fell to the hard asphalt of the street as he reached the fight. Phantom soared overhead, hands blazing green as he charged an ecto blast to fire at the ghost he was fighting. Danny didn't recognize the other ghost that looked like it was wearing some strange metal suit with a flaming neon green Mohawk. The other ghost fired a net at Phantom, who easily dodged it before throwing his energy that spun from his hand in the shape of a disc like a Frisbee.

Danny hurriedly brought the camera to his eye, adjusting the lens as he tracked the ghosts' movements. After a few snaps, he frowned, lowering the camera. "Shit," he mumbled when he realized that the film in his camera was at its end. He glanced quickly up at the fight. Phantom looked like he had the upper hand as he drove the Mohawk ghost back, his latest attack throwing the enemy into the wall of one building.

If he didn't hurry, Danny would miss getting some more shots before the fight ended. He scrambled to search inside his leather side bag for his extra rolls of films. When he found one, he yanked it from the bag, placing it in his mouth when he turned his attention to removing the finished roll from the camera.

Upon hearing a noise behind him, Danny twisted around, his blue eyes glancing around the dark, empty street, but he saw nothing lurking around in the shadows. As he focused back on his camera, the roll of film popped out in his rush to change to a new roll and fell, clattering to the ground. Danny cursed again under his breath, around the roll in his mouth, as he dropped to his knees and searched along the street from the finished roll.

"This isn't my night," Danny muttered after taking the roll out of his mouth and pocketing in his jeans. The finished roll, he discovered, fell underneath a parked car next to him. He reached his arm as far it could go under the car, his fingers just barely able to brush against it. The roll spun out of his reach, and Danny pulled his arm back, grumbling as he got to his feet to try a different angle.

His gaze darted briefly toward the fight as Phantom threw up a shield as a missile from the other ghost tried to blast him away. He would still be able to get a few good shots if he was quick. He started to kneel at the side of the car, hoping that he would be able to reach his roll of film from this angle.

An arm caught him around the waist, yanking him suddenly against another body, a cold body that made him shiver when his back made contact with it. A hand slapped over his mouth before he could shout out in alarm. Danny pulled at the hand covering his mouth and nose with some rough fabric itching at his skin. A sweet scent filled his nose, and he gagged at the smell, feeling sick as his body felt suddenly heavy.

"Shh, just relax," whispered someone into his ear.

Danny turned his gaze, only able to make out red eyes staring at him as his vision swam. His arms dropped to his sides, his body growing limp. What was going on? His mind tried to figure out the answer to that question as he was lifted into someone's arms. Distantly, he heard the clunk of his camera hitting the ground. He struggled to keep conscious, but he was quickly slipping into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know very many AUs at the time, other than my own, so I just ran with the Snow Colored Lens AU idea for this theme.


	8. Foley, Tucker Foley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: It was the usual job until Tucker uncovers a secret within the mansion.  
> Characters: Tucker

The plan was simple. Getting into the celebration for the elite, the rich socialites, the ones in power, was beyond easy for him. The guest list hacked to include him. Documents forged to confirm his identity as a billionaire from old money that hardly had to work to maintain the fancy sophisticated lifestyle of the other guests of the celebration, should anyone go looking to check up on him. It was all child's play for a man of his _unique_ capabilities, which was exactly why his services were requested for this job.

Once he was inside the mansion, more like a castle really, Tucker waited for the right opportunity to break away from the crowd. Guards kept watched all around for spies like him, and security cameras monitored activity everywhere within the mansion and the surrounding grounds. Tucker smirked inwardly as he flipped a switch on the device hidden in his pocket. He already hacked the security system, with ease, and now every feed of the cameras would be displaying a looped recording of empty halls and rooms. He would be able to move about the mansion without being spotted now.

So long as he didn't get caught by any of the guards.

Tucker glanced around the corner, and when the coast was clear, he sneaked out of his hiding place and crept down the hall. According to the information he dug up on the mansion, the information his boss wanted was within the room at the end of the hall. All he had to do was sneak in, copy the file, and make his escape. Easiest thing in the world. He was an expert in this type of operation after several years working as a spy.

The door stood as the only thing in his way. But something caught his attention when he reached it. Tucker turned his gaze down the hall off to the left of the door. That hall wasn't on the blueprints for the mansion. He frowned, wondering how recently it was added to the building. He took a step down it but paused as he noticed the tell tale signs of invisible lasers protecting the hall from unwanted visitors straying down it.

On the wall, he saw where the control panel was secretly hidden behind a section of the wall. Many people probably wouldn't even notice the slight lines that indicated a removal panel, but Tucker came across things like this often in his job. After opening the wall, he looked over the control panel and whistled softly to himself. It was a fairly sophisticated bit of technology, but tech was his specialty. Bringing out a sleek black PDA, he plugged a wire into the control panel. It took him mere moments to hack through the security and shut down the lasers within the hall.

Tucker walked down the hall, throwing a glance over his shoulder to check for guards. He knew he should just get his job over with before he did something stupid to get caught, but his curiosity overcame him. If the owner of this mansion had lasers set up around this hall, they were obviously hiding something big at the end of it. Whatever it was might be more valuable to his boss than what they were originally after. The lock on the door was a little tougher for him to crack, having to rewrite some of the data to recognize his hand for entry into the room.

Tucker sneaked into the room, closing the door behind him. He shivered and rubbed his hands up and down his arms as he looked around. Each breath came out in a misty puff of white. What was this place? There were large tubular containment units around the room, but each one he passed was empty.

Until he came to one in the center of the far wall. Tucker's mouth gaped open as he stared at what was trapped within the tube of glass filled with some strange greenish liquid. Pale with lanky limbs and lean muscles. An oxygen mask covered mouth and nose. White hair floated within the fluid. Half lidded green eyes glowed through the murkiness of the liquid.

"What is this?" Tucker whispered, trying but failing to understand why this man was being held inside the containment unit.

"Nothing for you to be sticking your nose into."


	9. Sam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: The thought sneaked up on him and refused to leave him alone.  
> Characters: Danny, Sam, Jazz, and Dash

Danny glanced across the cafeteria, his blue eyes quickly finding the two freshmen sitting next each other at another table on the other side of the large room. It was strange seeing the two become fast friends when they were such opposites. Jazz was a bright, bubbly girl, bookish and smart. Sam was a dark Goth that liked to protest for her strong beliefs. Maybe the whole Goth thing, the interest in death, was what drew that two of them together after Sam learned about their family and how their parents were obsessed with ghosts.

But staring at the two women, Danny had a nagging thought wiggling through his mind that made him frown as he poked at the remainder of his lunch. Sam, and maybe he was being absolutely crazy about this line of thought, had the exact same shade of violet eyes as his mother. Even with her dark ebony hair, Sam seemed like she would fit in well with the Fenton family. Danny's eyes drifted toward his sister. With Jazz's shade of hair and eye colors, not to mention the chipper disposition and her disbelief in their parents' work on ghost research, she seemed a lot more like Sam's parents.

"Gee, Fentonio," Dash said as he ribbed the other junior with his elbow. "Crushing on the Goth now?"

"No," Danny snapped, shooting a glare at his teammate. He pushed his tray away as he leaned on one arm. "I was just thinking." He glanced at the other jock and frowned. Then he shook his head. "Never mind."

"Nope. You get to start like that and leave me hanging, Fentease." Dash threw an arm around Danny's shoulder and grinned. "If you've got a thing for the Goth, I won't laugh."

"I already told you that's not it." Danny shrugged off the arm. "I just can't stop thinking that Sam is way more a Fenton than my own sister. I mean," he sighed, "they were born in the same hospital at around the same time. Mix ups happen, right?" He frowned at Dash, who was scratching his head over what Danny said.

"So you're crushing on some chick that you think could be your sister? Ew, Fencest!" Dash pulled a face of disgust.

"I don't have a crush on her." Danny sighed in exasperation, sometimes worrying about the friends he made. "Forget I said anything." He stood, picking up his tray to dump the leftovers in the trash. He would remember next time not to try having a serious conversation with Dash. Raking a hand through his raven hair as he left the cafeteria, Danny still couldn't shake the thought from his head. Could Sam and Jazz have been switched at birth?


	10. Western Guys in White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A life crime would eventually catch up to him.  
> Characters: Danny, Tucker, and the Guys in White

Danny's gaze slid toward the door when they opened and a pair of men entered the small tavern. Tension filled the air immediately, and Danny casually tugged his scarf up a bit more to hide his face as he hunched over the bar counter where he sat. The men, dressed in their ugly all white attire with black cowboy boots that they somehow managed to keep immaculately clean, approached the bar, standing a little too closely for Danny's comfort.

"We're looking for a wanted criminal," one of the men announced while his partner kept watch around the tavern for any sign of reaction from the patrons. "A man they call Phantom." He slapped a photograph down on the bar. Danny glanced briefly at it, noting the fuzzy image barely made the subject of it recognizable.

The bartender adjusted his glasses as he leaned down the stare at the image. Green eyes narrowed slightly as he frowned. "I think you'd be lucky if you found anyone that even knew what they were looking at," Tucker said, and Danny grinned behind his scarf. Tucker was an old friend and pretty good at acting the part of being oblivious when it came to Danny's less than legal activities, but someone had to do something to stop the tyranny of the town's mayor. With all the taxes, people were starving in the streets, too poor to buy even breadcrumbs to feed their families.

"You think this is the time to be joking?" the man demanded as he leaned over the bar, trying to appear threatening. "He's a violent, dangerous criminal that's destroying the peace of our town. If you know anything about his whereabouts, you'd be wise to tell us everything you know."

"Sorry. Don't serve violent, dangerous criminals here." Tucker shrugged as he returned to wiping clean one of the beer glasses with a cloth rag. "Well," he chuckled, "unless you count Dash coming in to pick a drunken fight every now and then." Several people listening in on the conversation laughed at that comment, knowing full well the blond man tended to stir up trouble whenever he paid a visit to the tavern.

"We'll be watching you," the man warned as he snatched the photograph off the bar. He left the tavern with his partner in tow after they couldn't get any information out of the bartender.

"One of these days," Tucker mumbled, shooting a look to his friend, "they're actually going to wise up and realize you're the Phantom."

"Nonsense." Danny grinned behind his scarf. "They're complete idiots. Can't even take a photograph properly." But he knew Tucker's worries weren't completely unfounded. They were getting closer to finding him, and when they did, Danny knew he would probably have to run, as much as he hated it. He couldn't help the town if he was captured.


	11. Favorite Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Life and death felt the same to him until something changed.  
> Characters: Box Ghost and Box Lunch

It was cold.

That was what he remembered best about his last moments of life. It was cold, and he was alone. Story of his life, really.

It happened suddenly. He was the last worker at the packaging plant, putting some remaining boxes away on the shelves. All the other employees headed home, a nice break for the Christmas holiday, but he didn't have a family to go home to, only having his empty little apartment to greet him.

It wasn't like he didn't try to meet someone. He tried dozens of times with no luck. Women weren't interested in a chubby man that worked at a package plant. A clown, they called him. They laughed as they walked away from him whenever he tried to flirt with them, impress them in some way.

So it was no surprise to him that his final moments found him alone. The ladder wasn't balanced or something. A freak accident really. He fell, boxes spilling down on top of him. His back hurt when he tried to move after the fall. Broken perhaps. He couldn't move. He tried shouting, partly in the agony of the pain he suffered, but no one was anywhere around to hear his cries for help.

The afterlife didn't prove to be any better for him. He tried to be the spooky ghost that terrified humans, using his control over boxes, but his attempts were laughable. He could see it every time he went up against Danny Phantom, who sighed in exasperation when they fought. He was a failure in life, and he failed as a ghost despite trying so hard to succeed at anything.

All he wanted was someone that cared about him.

Box Ghost lifted the little giggling bundle up over him, smiling at the cheery little face of his daughter. It might have taken him some time, years after being dead, to find something that he was good at: being a father.


	12. Maddie (and kids)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: A mother's love for her child is a powerful thing.  
> Characters: Maddie and Danny

Jack was a mess. An absolute mess.

Maddie sighed at the memory of Jack panicking, running around in a crazy rush like he didn't know what to do. It was their second child. They went through the whole giving birth thing once already, but Jack acted like he couldn't remember how everything was supposed to go. Maddie decided it was probably best for him to wait out in the waiting room and watch over their daughter Jazz for the duration of her labor.

It was longer this time than when she had Jazz, and she felt drained when it was all over. Maddie smiled down at the little bundle of joy in her arms, all pink and wrinkly. Daniel. They decided on that name easily after learning the sex of the baby. Her precious baby boy.

When the door to her room opened, Maddie turned her smile toward it, expecting her husband and daughter to come in the greet the newest member of their family. Instead a strange man entered, his long graying hair tied back in a low ponytail. He looked much too young to have his hair starting to turn gray. His hands were shoved into the pockets of the long white doctor's coat he wore.

"Who are you?" Maddie questioned, her smile falling into a frown as she watched the man come to stand by her bedside.

"I just wanted to greet the special boy on his day of birth," the man explained with an eerie glow to his eyes. A fond smile spread onto his face as he stared down at the baby in her arms. "I'm sure he'll accomplish many great things."

"Of course, he will," Maddie replied stiffly. "He's a Fenton, after all."

The man turned his eyes onto her, and the way he stared at her made her feel cold and naked. "And you'll love him?"

"Of course!" Maddie snapped indignantly, insulted by the mere question. Her violet eyes narrowed at him. "I'm his mother. I'll always love him."

"I hope you remember that." After a sad twitch of his lips, the man turned to leave the room. He passed by Jack and Jazz as they entered the hospital room, not giving the man even half a glance.

Fourteen years later, the memory danced in her mind as Maddie gaped at the teenager lying on the ground before her, the barrel of her gun directed right at his heart. Blue eyes gazed up at her pleadingly as blood seeped down the side of his head from a bad gash he received after being slammed into the wall.

"Oh, my precious baby boy," Maddie whispered in shock as her arms fell slack at her sides. All this time! And she never once noticed it.

"Mom, I-" Danny's voice failed him as he bit down hard on his lower lip, his gaze falling away from his mother.

At his voice, Maddie started, coming back to herself. She dropped to her knees at his side, drawing him into a hug despite the way he jerked away from her touch, like he was terrified of her. "I love you, Danny. For always. No matter what." She buried her face into his raven hair. Slowly, tentatively, Danny's arms circled around her body, hands clutching at the teal material of her jumpsuit.


	13. Picture Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Jack was never good at leaving him alone.  
> Characters: Vlad, Jack, and Maddie

Vlad tried to make his escape, though unfortunately his plan was rather unsuccessful.

For such a large man, Jack had the uncanny ability of sneaking up on a person with the stealth of a cat, light on his feet and hardly making a sound. Vlad tried to keep low and stay hidden, but at every turn, Jack reared his large body to block off the escape route. Gritting his teeth, Vlad hunched down behind one of the dumpsters, praying that he wouldn't be found, yet again, by the other man.

"What are you doing down there?"

Vlad jerked his head around with a gasp of "M-Maddie!" that made his voice crack embarrassingly. He flushed, feeling silly after the woman, his crush, found him like that. Rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck, he stood. "I was just-"

"Where'd ya go, V-man?" Jack's shout came from somewhere nearby, far too closely.

Vlad knew he needed to get moving, to find a new hiding place, but this was Maddie, standing right in front of him, with a smile on her lovely face. He already felt humiliated enough with the way she found him without having to make up some lame excuse that she probably wouldn't buy before rushing off to get away from Jack.

"Ah," Maddie said, nodding her head in understanding after hearing Jack's voice. "Picture day, huh?" She smiled as she patted him on the shoulder. "I think it's great that you two get along so well together."

"What?" Vlad spluttered in shock. Sure. He and Jack were roommates, but that generally meant Jack dragging him around despite any and all protests.

"Well, you know, Jack isn't exactly popular either," Maddie explained as a frown appeared on her face. "It's nice to see that he has someone to hang out with. And you're such a good guy, Vlad."

Frowning, Vlad realized he hadn't really given much thought to that point, though he did remember seeing some of the big names on campus teasing Jack a few times since the first day at college.

"There you are, Vladdie!" Jack appeared suddenly, drawing Vlad into a crushing one armed hug that made the thinner man cringe as his internal organs felt like this were being squeezed to the point of bursting. "Oh, hey, Maddie," he greeted, receiving a smile from the woman. "Come on, V-man! Everyone's waiting on you to take the picture." He dragged his roommate off toward where they were holding the photo session. Vlad caught Maddie giggling behind her hand before they turned around the corner of the building.


	14. Dani

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Life was going well since the destabilizing incident until confusing thoughts started circling in her mind.  
> Characters: Valerie x Dani(Elle)

Things were a bit scary back then. She thought for certain that she was a goner when Vlad had her captive and her body was starting to dissolve into a puddle of goo for Vlad to examine so that he could create his perfect clone. When Danny used the Ecto-Dejector on her, she had little faith that it would work as her body completely destabilized.

The fact that it _did_ work left her ecstatic. She was completely over the moon with happiness that she didn't melt down into nothingness. She could never thank Danny enough for saving her from that fate. They visited each other after that, and she liked getting to hang out with him.

Elle sat on the rooftop of one building in Elmerton, green eyes glancing around for any sign of trouble in the town. Danny had Amity Park well protected, and she wanted some space away from her source material. It was great to spend time with Danny, but she needed to be her own person sometimes. Too much of her mirrored Danny.

She frowned as she lowered her gaze, lazily kicking her legs. Valerie lived in Elmerton too, and after the whole thing with Vlad, they became fast friends and fought any ghosts that attacked their town. Amity Park wasn't the only place that suffered from ghostly problems, though it certainly had a large number of attacks. She had lots of fun with Valerie. They hung out even when not fighting ghosts. Valerie taught her stuff, like fashion and makeup and insisted that they study together because, as Valerie said, even a clone deserved an education. She was getting pretty good at karate too, and sparring with her was actually pretty fun. It was a good life. Much better than how she was living before she _really_ started to destabilized.

But with being so much like Danny, she had to wonder if her feelings were real or simply a result of Danny's feelings. She realized it some time ago when Valerie was helping her with her makeup, and their faces were rather close together. She gulped nervously as the sudden desire to close the distance and kiss the other woman came over her. Maybe it was just a onetime thing, a fluke of the moment. But the feeling lingered. Every glance they shared. Every smile that crossed between them. Every brushing touch only served to make her realize all the more her feelings toward the other woman.

"There you are, Elle."

She almost gave a shout of surprise when Valerie appeared before her, gliding toward her on her speed board. Valerie touched down on the rooftop, her suit disappearing in an instant. Then she joined Elle at the ledge.

"You had me worried," Valerie admitted with a frown. "I thought you ran off when I couldn't find you."

"Sorry," Elle mumbled, lowering her gaze again. "I had to do some thinking." _And being around you was just making me too confused_.

"About what? Maybe I can help."

Elle shook her head. "It's nothing important." Maybe she would figure out her feelings at some point, but she couldn't think of how to tell whether her feelings were her own or Danny's.

"Elle," Valerie said with a sigh as she reached out a hand and turned the half ghost's head around to face her. "Whatever it is, you can talk to me about it."

She stared into Valerie's green eyes, and it was hard to ignore that rush of emotions inside her. Her cheeks felt unusually warm, and she prayed the green blush wouldn't be noticed by the other woman. "It's not-" Elle swallowed thickly as she caught that look that said Valerie wouldn't be letting her just brush it off as nothing. She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I think I," she bit her lip, "like you. But it could just be because of," she hesitated, "Danny."

"Elle," Valerie brought up her other hand, cupping the half ghost's face, "you may be his clone, but that doesn't mean your feelings aren't your own. And," she smirked as she touched her forehead to Elle's, "I think I like you too."

Shock hit her as a blush exploded more brightly over her face. Elle couldn't think of a response to that confession. She didn't have the time to even give one before Valerie sealed their mouths together. Was this really happening? The question flashed quickly through her mind before she let all thought go. Elle responded to the kiss, happily savoring the feel of Valerie's lips against her own.


	15. Ectoplasm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: His careful planning didn't prepare him for the results.  
> Characters: Vlad and Danny

He stared at the neon green dripping down from the boy's mouth, and he realized everything had gone horribly wrong.

It was a simple experiment really. He tried it before on small ghost blobs with little ill effects. They were easily controlled, following after his commands like little puppets. It was his madness in wanting to take Daniel under his wing like a son that drove him to this. The clone project failed, so he decided to try another avenue of gaining the boy's allegiance.

He never could have predicted this outcome, and his stomach churned with sickness as he watched the boy dig his hand into the unmoving form of another ghost. With a wet slurping, Daniel ripped out a long sinewy rope like an intestine that dripped more of the bright green ectoplasm. He brought one end to his mouth and sucked it in greedily. When the last flopping end of it disappeared into his mouth, he looked up and a wicked grin flashed upon his face.

Vlad resisted the urge to run from the room as the bile tried to bubble up his throat. The dark look in those eyes with the red bleeding into the green sent chills through him. When Daniel stood and stepped over the body of the ghost, Vlad nearly flinched. Would Daniel do the same to him that he did to that ghost?

He kept very still when Daniel stopped before him. He barely breathed when Daniel touched his hands to his face, smearing ectoplasm over aged flesh and the silvery hair upon his chin. He tried to blind himself to the crazed grin and the madness in Daniel's eyes.

"Bring me another," Daniel whispered, almost cooing at the older half ghost. His eyes were alight with hunger. The experiment apparently produced a craving inside the young half ghost. Daniel tasted the blood of another ghost, and the effect was like a drug that drove him to need more.

Vlad was terrified over what he had done. He wanted an obedient heir, but he ended up creating a monster.


	16. Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny worries about the future to come.  
> Characters: Danny x Sam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little pre-Doctor Dash story.

"We're not naming him Jack."

Danny sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, bumping up the glasses that were perched there. "I'm not saying that we have to name him that. But my dad wants us to at least consider it." He turned around in his chair at his desk to face his wife.

Sam sat on the couch with her feet up as she flipped through various books on child birth and what to expect when expecting and whatever else she could find that related to the topic of child rearing. Her ebony hair was cut short, growing longer in the front so that the longest strands just barely brushed her shoulders. Danny grinned at the sleeveless black top she wore. His mother took a special interest in sewing her daughter-in-law some Goth inspired maternity clothes, which Danny thought was only to annoy Sam's parents. Pamela's visits were a dreaded occurrence after the woman learned of her daughter's pregnancy. The woman felt the need to tell Sam every tiny detail of when she was pregnant with Sam. She brought over the most hideous pink or pastel and girly maternity clothes that ever came into existence. Danny was thankful for his mother's thoughtfulness of making something more suited to Sam's style. Otherwise, he didn't think he would survive to see his son's birth.

"It's not really that hard to say that Jack was on our maybe list, is it?"

Sam sighed in exasperation as she closed a book and tossed it aside. "No, I suppose not," she grumbled as she tried to get up from the couch. Tried being the important word there. Her arms flailed before her, and she rocked a few times, trying to build momentum to stand.

Danny knew better than to laugh at the attempt. The first time he did left him with a painful punch to the shoulder. He got up from his chair and helped her to her feet. "If you want something, I can get it."

"Danny, there are some things you simply can't do for me." Sam patted him on the shoulder as she walked toward the doorway of the front room. "I swear this child thinks my bladder is a trampoline or something."

Watching her leave the room, Danny sighed and raked a hand through his raven locks. He was excited about being a father. He wanted a son. But he was scared. This wasn't the usual fears of fatherhood or thinking that he wouldn't be a good father. He was terrified of his son being like him, being born half ghost. It was entirely possible that his child would be a normal human. But what if it wasn't? What if inheriting ghost powers caused something to go wrong with the pregnancy? What if the child or Sam died during labor?

His fear drove him to speak to Vlad early on, only a few weeks after learning that Sam was pregnant. His old foe told him there was nothing to worry about. His ghost powers were a part of his DNA as much as passing on blue eyes and raven hair. Vlad said everything would be all right. But his words didn't stop Danny from worrying. What did Vlad really know anyway? Vlad never had a child before. He didn't know what would happen or how his ghost DNA would affect his unborn son.

"I think I like Lex for a name," Sam announced moments later when she returned from the bathroom.

Danny turned to look at her. "Lex. I like that." He smiled.


	17. Cross Dress Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: It would never be him.  
> Characters: Kwan with Dash x Danny

"Remind me why we agreed to wear this?"

Kwan bit his lip, trying not to snicker at his grumpy friend as Dash tugged at the short pleated skirt of the cheerleading outfit that Paulina practically forced him to wear that morning. It looked fairly ridiculous on the buff body of a football player, but Kwan wasn't exactly one to talk since Paulina made him wear one as well. The things they did for friendship. Kwan shook his head at that thought.

"Because Paulina's our friend, and we're not going to let her lose a bet," Kwan reminded as Dash huffed irritably. When the door to the bathroom opened, Dash shot a glare at it, ready to snap at whomever entered. The blond jock's foul mood seemed to evaporate immediately when his blue eyes landed on the man that stepped through the door.

"What are you wearing?" Fenton asked, blinking surprised eyes. His mouth twitched somewhat, like he was restraining the grin that was threatening to spread over his face at the sight of the two jocks wearing the ridiculous cheerleading uniforms.

"You know," Dash said slowly, a smirk replacing his scowl as he approached Fenton. In a few long strides, the jock had the other man backed up against the wall with a hand placed awfully close to Fenton's head. They were about the same height now, Dash no longer having to lean down to put himself at eye level with the loser. Fenton filled out somewhat over the years, putting on some muscle, but he didn't compare to Dash in terms of buffness. "Paulina made sure to have a uniform ready for you to wear too."

Kwan watched the exchange. The two men with their heads so close their lips could practically touch. A flush crept onto Fenton's face at the nearness, and he licked his lips as he stared into Dash's eyes. It was like a game they played, seeing how close they could get, dancing around the truth, before one of them cracked and kissed the other.

And it hurt him so badly to watch the pair. Kwan kept his own feelings bottled up while his best friend crushed over the loser. He tried to ignore it, but he was insanely jealous of Fenton who managed to steal his friend's heart. Why? It was a question that circled his mind every day since realizing Dash had feelings for Fenton. Why him?

"I'll catch you later," Kwan said with his usual cheer as he slipped out of the bathroom. He barely heard Dash mumbled a confused "see ya" before the door closed behind him. They still had some time before the first class of the day started, and Kwan wandered the halls, not knowing what else to do. He had to get away from the pair before his emotions just bubbled over and did something he would regret.

It was better like this. He told himself that over and over, like somehow repeating the words would make it true and lessen the pain. But it seemed to only make it worse. What made it better? Why would Dash choosing Fenton instead of him be better? He tried to convince himself of that fact, but it was a failing argument.

They would all be off at college next year. He would have plenty of chances to find someone else to love then. But it was just another lie he told himself. Who would ever take the place of Dash in his heart? They were best friends since they were in diapers. They fought on occasion, but they always remained the best of friends. But Dash would never look at him the same way he looked at Fenton, and that killed Kwan every day that he had to sit back and watch them.

The bell rang somewhere in the distance, and it barely registered in his mind that he left the school. Sometimes, he wished he could forget all about his feelings for Dash.


	18. Mind Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: She would uncover his secrets no matter what.  
> Characters: Maddie and Vlad

He lay on the cold, unforgiving metal of the examining table, held down by special straps that interfered with his ghost powers. Phasing through them wasn't an option. He couldn't turn invisible much less spark even the smallest of energy balls. He was about as helpless as he would be in his human state.

But that was okay. As soon as he heard her voice, he didn't have the will to try struggling or even the desire to escape. Her sultry smooth voice like velvet washed over him and removed such ideas from his head. He was her toy to play with however she wished. When she spoke, he could feel a fog within his head. He couldn't reach beyond it to find out what hid within that fog, but he suspected what was there. His memories weren't all that great when she spoke to him. It was like her voice confused everything, made him forget. All emotion was wiped clean from him, leaving only calm obedience as he waited for whatever instructions she might give him.

Her violet eyes gazed down at him in an almost clinical manner. They twitched slightly as they stared into his own eyes, like she was searching for some answer that refused to present itself to her despite all attempts to puzzle out the riddle. She spoke again, and he followed the movement of her mouth before the words registered in his head.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

They weren't simply questions. They were _demands_. And under her sway, it was impossible for him to disobey. Refusal to follow her commands didn't even pass through his mind as his mouth opened to respond.

"Vlad Masters. I want your son."

Something shifted. A clatter of noise disrupting whatever it was that had him enthralled. A moment of clarity as the fog lifted in his head, and he became fully aware of _everything_. Red eyes widened in horror as he stared into Maddie's terrified eyes. He remembered being too cocky and not paying enough attention during the fight that ended with the Fentons capturing him. He remembered the brief moment of fear as they strapped him down before everything was washed away behind the fog. He became aware of the fact that he just revealed his true persona as well as his motives for returning to Amity Park again and again. Fear crept through him like a poison when he wondered what she would do with the information that he wasn't merely the "Wisconsin Ghost" like they thought from the beginning.

Then all those thoughts and memories were gone, the calm of serenity returning to take place of his horror. He was her puppet again.


	19. Ghost Hunger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Of all his fears, he never predicted this one.  
> Characters: Danny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short little pre-Doctor Dash story.

"Dad, I'm hungry."

Danny frowned when he heard those simple words from his son. "We just had breakfast," he said, turning his frown onto his son.

"No, I'm _hungry_." Lex stressed the word with an anxious look upon his face.

His frown deepened as the meaning of the words hit him, and Danny didn't miss the eerie glow within his son's eyes. With a sigh, he stood from his seat at the desk where he was busily typing out last chapter to his latest story, which he hoped would for once be handed in on time. Betty called him every day to remind him of the nearing due date for his novel.

"What do you want this time?" Danny asked as he led the way back into the kitchen. They didn't stop there though, instead venturing down to the laboratory in the basement.

In all his worries about his child being born, he never considered this. When Lex was still a baby and crying for almost all hours of the day, Danny felt at a loss for what to do to calm his son as nothing seemed to work. Vlad provided no help, having never had to raise a child especially one with possible ghostly properties. Danny had only one choice, only knew of one ghost couple that produced a child together, so he went to see the Box Ghost. It turned out that newborns, the children of ghosts, those born as a ghost instead of dying to become one, had a craving for ectoplasm. His own daughter Box Lunch went through it too, was still going through it, which made Danny worry about how long Lex would have this craving.

When it came time for Lex to go to school, Danny feared what would happen. He couldn't concentrate on writing even a little for that entire day. He waited with an ear strained for the phone to ring, but no call came. When he returned home, Lex proudly said he remembered the importance of keeping his ghost powers secret, and all the while he kept trying to bite at his father's fingers, seeking the ectoplasm that he knew to be there to sate his craving.

"Eggs!" Lex cried happily.

Danny rolled his eyes as he retrieved a few eggs from a special storage unit within the laboratory. There was, as he discovered, a farmer within the Ghost Zone that raised the ghosts of animals, harvesting things like ectoplasm eggs and milk. It was a convenience for him because it meant he didn't have to capture random ghosts to feed his son or draw out his own ectoplasm for his son to drink.

"How do you want them? Scrambled, over easy, sunny side up, hard boiled?" Danny rolled the glowing green eggs in his hand as they returned to the kitchen.

"Scrambled!" Lex grinned, and he hugged onto his father's leg as Danny started preparing the eggs.


	20. Cujo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Another average day with the usual appearance of a ghost dog.  
> Characters: Cujo with Danny x Sam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little pre-Doctor Dash story.

He woke to the squealing jubilant cries of his son. Danny rubbed at his eyes before glancing at the clock and finding it to be ten in the morning. How did he manage to sleep in that late? He was usually an early riser, even before their son was born. Climbing out of bed, Danny padded over to the door in only his cotton pajama pants which hung a bit loosely around his waist.

When he reached the front room, Danny spied Sam sitting on the floor with their son. Lex giggled, his little arms waving in the air as the little green puppy licked at his chubby cheeks. Danny walked over join them, sitting down opposite Sam as he watched Cujo play with his son. Ever since the first time he met the dog, which led to a lot of trouble with Valerie after she blamed him for a lot of things that went wrong in her life, Cujo returned frequently to visit him. Though it seemed to be more often now that Lex was born.

"You didn't want to wake me?" Danny questioned as he picked up his son. Making a rocket ship whooshing noise, he lifted the infant up over his head. Lex giggled as his arms and legs flailed, and Cujo barked happily as he pranced around him.

"Oh, you know," Sam said, shrugging as she leaned back on her arms. "You just looked so cute passed out with that bit of drool dripping down your chin." She grinned when Danny turned his gaze on her and frowned.

"I don't drool," Danny grumbled as he lowered Lex, sitting his son in his lap. Cujo tried to climb into his lap too, but Danny shooed him away.

"Yeah, you kind of do." Sam stood, taking their son from him when Lex started crying. She lifted him up to her nose and sniffed. "Whew! Someone needs his diaper changed."

"Glad it's not me," Danny joked as he stood too. "And I don't drool." When Sam left the room, Danny wiped at his mouth, thankful when he didn't find a crusty trail of drool running down his chin. Hearing his stomach grumble at him, he walked into the kitchen with Cujo following after him. After he searched around for a bit, he decided on a simple bowl of oatmeal.

Cujo tugged on the leg of his pants then shook his head as he growled.

"Okay. Okay." Danny looked around the house until he found the usual tennis ball under the couch in the front room. "Go fetch!" He focused some of his ghostly energy into the ball, turning it intangible before he threw it through the wall of the house. With a happy bark, Cujo phased through the wall as he ran after it. Smiling to himself, Danny returned to the kitchen to enjoy his breakfast. It wouldn't be long before Cujo returned with the ball in his mouth and happily waiting for another toss to chase after. Just another quiet morning, and Danny was thankful for them.


	21. Handcuffs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Waking up in unfamiliar surroundings didn't make him feel good, no matter how nice the room was.  
> Characters: Danny and Vlad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short I wrote in the Snow Colored Lens AU before starting on the full length story.

His eyelids felt heavy, and it took him several attempts to finally open them and break free from the tempting lure of sleep. He didn't really feel all that rested though. His head throbbed with a foggy sensation, and his mouth felt all dry and cottony. The world around him was slightly blurry, but after a few slow blinks, it started coming back into focus.

Danny sat up with a jolt when he saw the unfamiliar surroundings. The action made his head hurt more, and he lifted his left hand to rub at the side of his head as he looked around the room. Everything about it screamed money. The fancy, intricately carved wardrobe thing. The vanity desk, which seemed kind of weird to him. The vase filled with fresh roses of a deep burgundy color looked like something that could be from the Ming Dynasty. He was guessing since he really didn't know all that much about that kind of stuff.

The bed was overly cushy with silk sheets that Danny decided he didn't like waking up in when he didn't know where exactly he was. He swallowed, a difficult task while his mouth remained fairly dry, as he tried to remember what happened and how he ended up here. The last thing he could recall was running to the site of Phantom's latest fight. He dropped a roll of film and was trying to retrieve it from under the car when-

Danny paled, a sense of dread settling into the pit of his stomach when he remembered someone grabbing him from behind and the hand over his mouth and nose with that sickly sweet smell. Someone kidnapped him! His brow pinched in confusion because he couldn't think of anyone for any reason that would want to kidnap him. He wasn't exactly anyone of importance. He was just a poor student struggling to make money as a photographer. Why would _anyone_ want him?

The reason wasn't important though. What was important was getting the hell out of there before the kidnapper came to check on him. Danny scrambled out of the bed, briefly wondering how long he was knocked out for. How many days passed since he was kidnapped? He barely got a step away before something yanked on his right arm, dragging him back to the bed. Spinning around, blue eyes widened in horror at the sight of the cold, silver handcuffs wrapped around his wrist and one of the posts of the bed. He struggled to twist his wrist, tugging his hand through the cuff, but it was too tight and the effort only made his hand and wrist hurt.

Climbing onto the bed, Danny dragged the handcuffs up the length of the post. But even on the tips of his toes, he could barely reach the top of the post. Even if he could, there was a thick ball of wood at the top to prevent him from slipping the handcuffs free. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he rammed his shoulder against the post. Maybe he could destroy the bed. Somehow. With a gasp, Danny dropped back onto the bed, rubbing his aching shoulder. The wood of the bed frame was a lot harder than he expected, and it almost felt like he could have broken bone with that attempt.

"Ah, you're awake."

Danny tensed at the voice, recognizing it from not too long ago. He turned his head and watched with mild fear as the man approached the bed.

"I made you some breakfast just in case." Vlad Masters smiled pleasantly, like they were old friends or something, as he set the silver tray on the nightstand beside the bed.

Danny glanced briefly at it, noting the expertly prepared omelet and sausage links and buttered toast with two glasses, one of milk and the other of orange juice. His gaze was back on the man in a flash as he frowned warily at him.

"I promise you. It's not poisoned." Amusement flickered in his dark blue eyes as he pulled up a cozy looking chair to sit beside the bed. "If I had wanted you dead, I could have killed at any point while you slept." Half his mouth curved upward in a smirk. "And I'm sure you're hungry."

That was true. His stomach was grumbling in hunger. But Danny didn't feel comfortable eating in front this man while handcuffed to the bed. "What do you want from me?" He glared at the man, trying to think of somewhere to get away from him, as he held onto his aching shoulder.

The smirk didn't leave, but a grim gleam passed in Vlad's eyes. "Right to the point then?" He almost looked disappointed. "I believe we have a common link, and I think I should warn you about him before you end up getting hurt."


	22. Valerie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: As she thought about recent events, she came to a realization.  
> Characters: Valerie and Danny

The days following the whole event left her walking around in a daze. She felt betrayed and humiliated. Rage was mixed in there somewhere too, but her shock kept her mostly numbed to that bitter emotion.

How could Vlad Masters, her employer, the one that first gave her the equipment she needed to fight ghosts, be a ghost himself, be that awful Vlad Plasmius? It left her head spinning. A person that was half human, half ghost would have made a lot less sense to her, and she would have denied the evidence staring her right in the face for how unbelievable it was, if Danny Phantom didn't convince her to save Dani Phantom. Couldn't these ghosts come up with more original names? Thinking about the two different ghosts with such similar names gave her a headache.

Valerie rubbed at one temple as she walked down the hall of the school, still turning over everything that happened in her head. Danielle, that made it slightly easier, was a girl but also a ghost, just like, as she learned in what was probably the biggest shock of her life now, Vlad Masters. She stopped at her locker as she thought about Danielle. The kid was all right. And though Valerie didn't like being lied to, she could understand why the half ghost girl wouldn't tell her the truth right away when Valerie showed up in her ghost hunting suit.

As a ghost, Danielle looked almost exactly like Danny Phantom, except for the obvious age difference and their genders. Same hair, same eyes, same color scheme for their clothing, same insignia on their chests. But when she was human, her bright blue eyes and ebony hair reminded Valerie of someone. Glancing over her shoulder, the huntress easily spotted Danny Fenton sighing tiredly as he crammed a book into his bag. His usual friends weren't present with him at the moment. Danielle looked like she could be Danny's sister, or cousin or something. Heck, they even shared the same name! Valerie blinked a few times at that. Same name? If Danielle was Dani Phantom - Danny Fenton? Danny Phantom?

Valerie stared at the man across the hall from her, feeling like she was just sucker punched in the gut. If there were two other half ghost hybrids running around, why couldn't Danny Phantom be one too? And with the way Danielle looked in both forms, Danny Fenton looked like he could be the human half of Danny Phantom. But should she approach him about it? If she was wrong, if Danny Phantom was actually a full ghost, she didn't want to look crazy in front of the man.

Closing her locker, she decided she needed to know the truth. Valerie steeled her nerves as she crossed the hall, thankful that Danny was alone at the moment. She grabbed his arm, ignoring his protests as she dragged him to the nearest janitor's closet. After shoving him inside, she closed the door behind them. The light bulb dangling above them only provided a small amount of dim light, but it was enough for them to see each other, meet one another's gazes.

"What are you doing, Valerie?" Danny demanded, grumpiness in his blue eyes as his brows drew together in confusion.

"I know who you are, Danny _Phantom_ ," Valerie said, stressing the word as her green eyes narrowed at him. Like she suspected he tried to argue, say she was crazy, but his quick denial only seemed like more proof that she was right. "I want an explanation, Danny. Why did you do all that stuff to me?"

"Hey!" Danny shouted, pointing a finger at her. "I tried to apologize for all of that and explain, but you were so 'I hate you' and 'I'm going to kill you' that you wouldn't even give me the chance while shooting at me." He jerked back suddenly, eyes growing wide as he slapped a hand over his mouth, realizing his slip up.

"Ha! You _are_ the ghost boy!" Valerie smirked smugly at that little victory before it fell into a frown. "I guess I did let my anger get the best of me." She folded her arms. "Well, I'm waiting. You can start explaining any time now."

Danny sighed, rubbing at his face. He clearly didn't want her to know the truth about him being half ghost. "Cujo wasn't my dog, although he sure likes breaking out of the Ghost Zone to come play with me now. Not the point." He shook a hand to stop any questions Valerie might have had. "Cujo was one of the guard dogs at Axion Labs before that whole new security system made them obsolete."

"Wait. They killed the dogs because of my dad's security system?" Valerie stared at him, an uncomfortable feeling twisting inside her. She never knew anything about the guard dogs.

"I don't know the full details. But yeah, Cujo was definitely one of the dogs, and since he's a ghost, he obviously died. And all he wanted was some squeak toy that was buried in the old room where the dogs were kept. I wish I had figured that out a lot sooner and got it for him and saved us all this trouble, but I'm not exactly the smartest guy around." He frowned miserably as he said it. "Anyway, I'm really sorry about your dad and his job, and everything else. I never meant for any of that to happen. I was _trying_ to keep ghosts from running around destroying things, but I really screwed up big time when it came to you."

Valerie felt a little guilty. Danny was only trying to do the right thing with his powers, and she hunted him down like some heartless, cruel monster. From her experiences hunting ghosts, she knew there were ghosts that fit that description, but Danny wasn't one of them. "I," she shook her head, "should have given you more of a chance to explain. But I was just so angry at the time. It all seemed so unfair. And the bad things just kept happening to me, and it felt like you were purposely trying to hurt me."

"I never meant for it to seem that way." Danny hung his head.

Valerie rubbed at the back of her neck, feeling awkward about the whole thing with them standing around in the semi dark closet. "I guess we can call a truce," she suggested. "We'll still have to do something about Vlad."

"Yeah - Wait. You know about Vlad?" Danny's eyes widened again.

"He might not be as smart as he thinks he is." Valerie smirked, though it was only by chance that she found out the truth about him.

"Truce then." Danny smiled as he held out a hand to her.

Valerie blinked at the hand, but after a moment, she pulled Danny into a brief hug. "We can talk strategies later. I'm sure Danielle will want to help us too." Opening the closet door, she gave him a wave before she turned to head down the hall. She walked a little taller. There was almost a spring in her step. She smiled to herself as a weight felt like it was finally lifted off her shoulders.


	23. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Some family you're born with, some you choose, and some find their way to you under the strangest of circumstances.  
> Characters: Danny, Jack, Maddie, Jazz, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, Dani(Elle), Vlad, and Dan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little pre-Doctor Dash story.

"Now, who is that again?"

Danny looked up from putting the final touches on the cake to sigh at his father. "That's Dan. You've met him before." And boy, was he ever terrified the first time the two of them met! Danny wasn't sure if Dan could keep his big mouth shut around his parents, and he kept fearing that his evil future would spill the beans about what they both were. Luckily, Dan somehow managed to stay quiet, finding subtler ways to tease Danny right under his parents' noses.

"And how does he fit into all this again?"

"He's Elle's cousin."

Jack's brow drew together. "And Elle is?"

"Valerie's girlfriend." Sometimes, Danny really started to worry that his father's memory was going. Either that, or Jack was testing him, hoping to catch a slip up so that he could cry ghost and whip out his latest invention. Ghost activity had toned down a great deal since his high school days, leaving his parents little to do when there wasn't a new ghost attacking every week.

"But didn't she date you before?"

Danny rolled his eyes at his father's questions. "Yes, but that was ages ago. Now we're just good friends." His blue gaze drifted across the room to where he spotted Valerie with the other women present, including his mother and sister. They were all huddled around the three year old, gushing over how cute the birthday boy was. Sam was the only one to notice his gaze, and when she did, she smiled at him.

Dan, meanwhile, was sitting on the couch looking bored out of his mind with his arms thrown over the back and his head leaned over it as he stared at the ceiling. In his human guise, he looked like a regular, buff twenty-four year old man, instead of the homicidal ghost that practically destroyed the world in his own timeline. Tucker sat as far away from Dan as the couch would allow while he nervously twisted the plastic cup in his hands. Even though Dan had showed that he wasn't about to go around killing them all, Tucker still didn't trust the evil future of his best friend. Danny still kept a close watch on Dan, just in case, but the once evil ghost seemed to have changed since his last defeat. And Dan would be crazy to start any trouble with three half ghosts, three professional ghost hunters, and three very capable non-professional ghost hunters in the house at that very moment.

"You're not pestering the poor boy again, are you, Jack?" Vlad questioned with a tired sigh as he joined Danny and his father at the table.

"I just don't trust that man," Jack answered, folding his arms as he narrowed his eyes at the ghost in disguise.

Danny shared a glance with Vlad, who wore a smirk at Jack's response. "All right. The cake is ready," Danny announced after lighting the three candles upon the cake. He smiled as the family circled around the table, Sam coming to stand next to him as she held their son Lex in her arms. His whole extended family with friends and enemies that he never would have imagined would be standing there with him as he celebrated his son's third birthday. It was strange, thinking back on everything, how old hatreds and bitter rivalries could turn into such strong alliances and forge such an unbreakable familial bond among them. But Danny wouldn't change anything that happened in the past because he loved the family he had right now.


	24. Evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Danny has a bad feeling when Sam doesn't join them for lunch.  
> Characters: Danny, Tucker, and Sam

"Have you seen, Sam?" Danny asked as they sat outside, enjoying their lunch. He frowned when he realized one of his friends was absent.

"Now that you've mentioned it," Tucker said, looking around like he was trying to spot their missing friend, "I haven't seen her all day. I wouldn't be surprised if she was planning some big protest, but Sam doesn't usually skip out on school."

Danny exchanged a worried look with Tucker. "Maybe we should go look for her." It could be nothing at all. Sam could simply have come down with a cold and had to stay home from school. But Danny had a sinking feeling that something was wrong, and part of him was wishing he noticed his friend's absence a lot sooner.

He barely stood up from his spot at the picnic table when a cold shiver ran through him and he gasped out a breath. The doors of the school flew open as students and faculty raced out screaming for their lives. Danny sighed because, of course, a ghost would have to show up at that exact moment. It happened like that almost every time he was going to do something.

"You go look for Sam," Danny instructed Tucker. "I'll deal with this week's stupid ghost." He dashed off to find a safe place to transform out of sight of the people running away from the school. Then he phased through the wall and started his search for the ghost. Inside the high school surprised him so much that he had to stop and gape. It wasn't more than ten, fifteen minutes top, since he and Tucker took their lunches outside to eat, but already the inside of the school looked like a jungle. Thick heavy vines covered the halls, even crawling over the ceiling. Giant red blossoms that looked big enough to swallow up a person spotted the halls. When he peered into some classrooms, it looked like there were enough of the blossoms to have eaten up all the students and teachers that were in there.

Danny gulped nervously as he neared where his ghost sense felt the strongest. He never faced off against a ghost that could control plants like this. And what if those blossoms _did_ hold people inside them? He didn't know what that could be doing to those people. If it was killing them, would defeating the ghost and sending it back to the Ghost Zone really save them? Or would there be lasting effects that he couldn't even predict?

His ghost sense drew him to the cafeteria, which was covered in plant life much like the rest of the school. He felt sick at the number of blossoms he spotted through the room. How many students and faculty members had this ghost already captured as hostages? He steeled his nerves. He couldn't think about that. He had to focus on defeating this ghost fast if he hoped to save everyone.

"Your terror ends here, you pestilent petunia!" Danny shouted, preparing himself to fight his enemy. And great, he was slipping back into alliteration with his banter.

The biggest of the blossoms slowly opened, petal by petal to reveal the one responsible for the jungle within the school. Danny jerked back as his green eyes widened. How could this be possible? It wasn't! He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. It didn't make any sense! How could-

"Sam?" Danny gasped out, feeling like Dash just punched him in the gut.

Sam turned her head toward him, blackened lips stretching into a smile. Her eyes, the entirety of them, were an eerie bright red with red petals growing from the outer corners. Petals seemed to grow out of her pale flesh in other places too, matching the red petal dress she wore with a black and purple leafy strap wrapped around her chest. Her hair wasn't at all like he remembered seeing it yesterday. Purple streaks ran through the black as her hair draped to one side. The other side of her head was shaved. She looked-

Okay. If he was honest with himself, in a way, Sam actually looked quite beautiful. But this wasn't the time to be admiring his friend, who he may have feelings for if he would actually stop denying it for once in his life. Something was seriously wrong with Sam, and he had to stop whatever ghost did this to her.

Danny floated down in front of her and grabbed hold of her arms. "Sam!" he shouted, giving her a shake like he could snap her out of this and bring her back to the Sam he knew. "Who did this to you?"

Sam laughed. "Oh, Danny." She shook her head with that eerie smile still on her face. "Thinking you can play the hero and save me? But have you considered this is exactly who I want to be?"

"This isn't you, Sam!" But her question shook him, making him stumble back a step. What did she mean this was exactly who she wanted to be? Why would she want to be some evil plant controlling ghost puppet?

"But it is." Sam practically cooed the words at him. "I now have the power to turn this planet back into the paradise it was always meant to be before humans became dominant and ravaged the world. Now the humans will be the slaves. They'll provide such good nutrients to my babies." She smiled, almost like a loving mother, as she caressed a hand over the Venus flytrap that rose up to her. Lifting it to her face, she rubbed her cheek against it, and the scene looked far too creepy for Danny.

"Sam, you're being controlled!" Danny argued, trying to think of some way to help his friend without having to hurt her.

Her red eyes slid toward him again, and there was a look in them that didn't settle right with Danny. "Controlled," she rolled the word of her tongue like she was toying with some idea. A cruel smile spread onto her face. "Yes, that's an excellent idea." Her hand reached up to take hold of something about her neck that Danny failed to notice right away. "If you won't join me willingly, I'll just have to make you." She held up a shard of red glass that seemed to swirl before his eyes.

"Sam," Danny said worriedly as he felt a tug on his subconscious that he had forgotten since the last time he gazed at that glass when it was still an orb, "where did you get that?"

"I thought it might come in handy to keep a few pieces of Freakshow's orb," Sam explained, making sure Danny's eyes remained locked on the place of glass in her hands. "I should have thought about using it on you ages ago. Think of the things we can accomplish together, Danny? I'll rule this planet, and you'll be my faithful servant."

"No!" Danny tried to shake his head in protest, but he couldn't make himself look away from the shard. It drew him in and made his eyes lock on it. He could feel the fog crawling into his brain, driving back his rational conscious thought as a new personality took his place. He screamed out, begging Sam not to do this, but his voice wasn't his to control anymore. His body didn't follow his commands as it knelt down on one knee. It took Sam's hand and brought it to its lips, kissing the back of her hand. When it tilted its head up, Danny could still see through its eyes to find Sam smirking victoriously down at him.


	25. Genderbend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: He really didn't approve of the way that man looked at his sister.  
> Characters: Jazz, Danny, Valerie, and Dash

His aqua colored eyes narrowed as he stared across the hall, and his mouth pulled into a frown, watching the dark skinned man leaning over his younger sister as they talked. Danni reached up a hand and brushed some of her ebony hair behind an ear as a light blush colored her cheeks. Valentino smiled as he said something that made Danni lower her eyes and fight back the darkening redness. He wasn't sure _what_ the man was saying to his sister, but he was almost certain he didn't like the once A list man apparently flirting with his sister.

Danni might think her brother was oblivious to what was going on in her life, but he knew a lot more she gave him credit for. He knew about her ghost powers, but he kept silent about that, waiting for his sister to tell him herself. He also knew that Valentino wasn't merely just any average man. Valentino was the Red Hunter that seemed bent on capturing Danni Phantom. That fact only brought out the overprotective big brother part of his personality even more when he watched Valentino getting a little too friendly with his sister.

"Hey, Jay," greeted Dash, distracting the man from his watching over his sister. Jay blinked at the younger woman, who rubbed the back of her neck as she looked away. "Um, I'm having trouble with some of the homework we got today in class. Do," she turned her dark blue eyes onto Jay and a slight pink color crept onto her cheeks, "you think you can help me with it? Coach is really getting on my ass about my grades. Cause if I drop my grades any further, I'm not gonna be able to play in the game next Friday. So think you can help me?" She winced like she expected the man to say no.

Jay glanced back across the hall to check on his sister, but Danni was already walking away. Unfortunately, Valentino was walking with her and had his arm around her waist. His jaw clenched as he noted how close Valentino's hand was to actually grabbing his sister's ass. He would be having a little chat with his sister when they got home.

"Yeah, sure," Jay answered absently as he turned his attention back onto the jock.

"Really?" Excitement entered Dash's voice before she cleared her throat. "I mean, you know, that's cool." She rolled a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug, shifting the cascade of blonde hair over her shoulder. "I'll meet you after school then." She backed up a step, waved somewhat awkwardly, then turned to head back down the hall.

Jay blinked as he watched the jock leave to join her friends. What was that all about? He scratched at his head in confusion before he walked off through the halls.


	26. Lancer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Lancer decided enough was enough.  
> Characters: Lancer, Danny, and Vlad

Lancer frowned while he was in the middle of grading papers when he heard a crash out in the hall. With a sigh, he set down his pen then stood from his desk. Ghost attacks weren't an uncommon occurrence for their town. In fact, it almost seemed like every day there was a new ghost threatening the safety of the people who lived there.

After grabbing something from the bottom drawer of his desk, Lancer stepped out into the hall. He wasn't surprised to spot the white haired ghost teen that fought to protect their town, even at the risk of being captured by the local ghost hunters. His mouth pulled into a deeper frown as he thought about them and their relationship to the ghost hero.

The fight had gone on for long enough, the two ghosts slinging ecto blasts at each other and dodging the other's attacks. The teen was still clumsy in his moves, but he was growing stronger with each fight. Lancer activated the item in his hand, and with both ghosts distracted with each other, neither of them saw it coming. The metal arms of the device flew out and ensnared the two ghosts, slamming them back to back as the cords tightened around them effectively trapping them.

"L-Lancer!" the teen ghost gasped out in surprise when he saw the teacher standing over them with his hands on his hips. The other ghost frowned at him with annoyance flashing in his red eyes.

"I've sat back and watched this fight continue for far too long." Lancer narrowed his eyes down at them. "You're interrupting my time to work on grading papers. You've destroyed parts of the school many times over. Do you even stop to realize that the school has limited funds and we can't constantly shell out the cash needed to repair things every time you two bring your fight here?"

"I could-"

"I don't want to hear it from you, Vlad," Lancer snapped before the older ghost could finish speaking. "You have money that you can just toss around like pocket change, and that's great. But I don't want to have my school relying on you for funding, even if you _are_ responsible in part for the destruction of school property."

"Wait!" shouted the ghost teen, his brow pinching in confusion. "You know Vlad?"

"Of course I do, Daniel." Lancer stared blandly as the shock flashed across his student's face before the horror of being discovered by his teacher sank in. "Yes, I know about you too. Honestly!" He huffed in exaggeration. "You two have to be the worst at keeping your identities secret. I'm surprised more people haven't figured it out. And really, Daniel, how do you expect people _not_ to figure it out when you run around with your friends as Phantom? Did you think no one could put that together?"

"Um," Daniel mumbled as he shrank down in sheepish embarrassment.

"Now," Lancer said, his green eyes glowering at the pair of half ghosts. "I don't know what has the two of you bickering like a pair of five year olds, but I want this to stop. You," he pointed at Vlad, "are a grown man. You should know better than to resort to such childish antics. And we have that game tomorrow that I'd rather you didn't miss out on it because I had to hand you over to the Guys in White, or perhaps worse, the Fentons."

"Game?" Daniel whispered, clearly baffled as he glanced over his shoulder at the older half ghost.

"We've been video game buddies for years," Vlad admitted, though at that moment he didn't look too thrilled about that fact.

"And you, Daniel," Lancer turned his attention onto the young teenager, "have a lot of homework that you should be dedicating your time to finishing. I appreciate that you risk your life to play hero and save the town from ghost attacks," he frowned severely at the pair, "though lately it seems to be mostly the two of you going at it at all hours of the day. But your school work is also very important. I'll be more than happy to help you with any of your homework. But this childishness between you two has got to stop. Are you two going to work things out like civilized adults or should I keep you tied up like this for a few hours?" He folded his arms, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor as he waited for an answer.

"We'll work things out," the two men grumbled like scolded children, both with their heads bowed. Lancer smirked as he retracted that Jack-o-nine-tails, glad he thought to confiscate off Daniel's older sister earlier in the year.


	27. Rituals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: He only needed answers. He only wanted to know what happened.  
> Characters: Lancer

"Can you hear me?"

The flames on the black candles set around the circle flickered, casting strange shadows around the darkened room. The wax oozed down the stumpy sides of the used far too often candles, melting over the edges of the candleholders and dripping onto the cold, hard stone of the basement floor. If the light were better in the room, bottles of strange items could be found lining the shelves and countertops. Herbs and other rare and unusual plants were hung by strings dangling from the ceiling. The whole setup in the basement would baffle anyone that entered it, wondering what an overweight high school teacher was doing with such an odd assortment.

Lancer turned his attention back to the task at hand. In the center of the circle before him sat a bowl, the items inside it smoking after the incantation he chanted. But his eyes focused on what was above the bowl. Misty white, very transparent and almost like wasn't even there, floated the vague outline of a person, a young teenage boy. Lancer frowned sadly at the sight, almost wanting to lower his gaze away from the boy.

"What? Is someone there?"

Lancer had to strain to hear the voice, a whisper of sound echoing around the basement. "Yes," he responded, relieved that the ghost could hear him. There were many times before when his voice was unable to reach across the divide to be heard by the summoned ghost. "I'm here. Can you hear me all right?"

"I-" Confusion splashed through the features of the ghost, and Lancer had a sinking feeling with that look. "What's going on?"

"Can you describe anything about where you are?" His heart pained him, but he couldn't answer the boy's question. Not yet.

"I - I don't know." The uncertainty in the ghost's voice worried the teacher. "It's cold, and-" The ghost turned his head, glancing around wherever he was. "I think I'm alone. Oh god, I'm all alone. And it's so cold. Why is it so cold?" He wrapped his arms around his body, shivering as he perceived the sensation of being cold.

"Focus," Lancer ordered in a loud, firm voice that snapped the ghost's attention back to him. He knew ghosts had a difficult time, especially those that were recently dead, but if he allowed their attention to stray, he might never get the answers he needed from them. "I need you to tell me what you see around you and if you remember anything about what happened."

Puzzled was the best way to describe the ghost as his brow pinched and his mouth pulled downward, not understanding this line of demands from the teacher. "I'm not sure. It's just... dark. And cold. I can't really see anything. I can't - I can't feel anything but the cold!" A frightened look washed over the ghost. "What's going on? What happened to me? How are you talking to me like this? I don't understand!" The room grew colder, and the flames flickered more violently.

"Calm down," Lancer said in a gentle voice. The ghost was quickly becoming panicked, and that wasn't good. "If you can tell me what you remember, I might be able to help."

"Remember?" the ghost repeated, but he didn't look any calmer about his situation. He shook his head. "I don't want to! All I remember is pain. Burning fire and freezing ice. I don't want to remember that! I don't-" A terrible look struck the ghost's face. "No! No, no, no!" His head shook rapidly in denial of whatever thoughts were dancing through his head at that moment. "No, I can't be! I'm not dead! How can I be here talking to you if I was dead?" The form of the ghost shrank down, dropping to hands and knees as he bowed his head. "Oh." He laughed, an airy but hysterical sound. "I see. There's my body. It's not moving." Another strange laugh bubbled from him. "I guess it can't since I'm not in it anymore."

"I need you to tell me-"

"I don't want to talk anymore." The candle went out, leaving the basement in darkness as the ghost vanished, its misty existence evaporating like smoke in the air.

Lancer sighed, hanging his head as his shoulders slumped. "I can't lay your soul to rest until I find out what happened to you," he mumbled to the darkness.


	28. Jazz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: To her, Danny always seemed like the lucky one.  
> Characters: Jazz and Danny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little pre-Doctor Dash story.

"You can do it," Jazz cheered as she knelt on the floor, clapping her hands then spreading her arms wide as she grinned at the little boy with his wispy blond hair in a tangled mess. The boy took one tentative step closer to her, little arms flailing as he tried to keep his balance. "That's it. Just a little more," she said, her fingers curling in a gesture of encouragement for him to keep walking toward her.

He made it two more steps before he fell over backwards on her rear end, and a pout appeared on his chubby little face. Her nephew only just recently learned how to walk, but he still had trouble keeping upright for more than a few steps at a time. Jazz moved closer to him, placing her hands under his arms to pick him up again. But her hands didn't enclose around solid flesh, instead grabbing right through his body. She blinked a few times as she stared at her hands then at the toddler.

If she didn't already know her brother's secret about being half ghost, that little mishap would have seriously caused her to freak out. "And that, Lex," Jazz said, pointing a stern finger at the boy, "is exactly why we never let Grandpa and Grandma babysit you." She really didn't want to find out what would happen to the toddler if her parents ever learned that he inherited Danny's ghost DNA. They still didn't even know that Danny was half ghost.

She sighed when she thought about all the secrets they were keeping from her parents. It wasn't only Danny and Lex's powers they were hiding. It was Vlad, Elle, and Dan's powers too. It was the fact that Valerie was a ghost hunter. It was all the crazy scheme that Vlad pulled in his fruitless attempt to win Maddie's heart, and sometimes even kill Jack. It was the fact that Elle was actually a clone of Danny. It was Dan being an evil future version of Danny that was once bent on killing them all and annihilating the world. It was so many secrets piled on top of each other that sometimes she really thought it would be easier on all of them just to tell her parents the truth. But she would never betray any of their trust in her by going behind their backs to reveal the truth to her parents.

"Sorry that took so long," Danny said, sighing in exhaustion when he entered the house. "I know you have work and I tried to get out of there as quickly as possible, but you know Betty." He rolled his eyes as he walked into the front room. "She just likes to talk and talk. It's like there's no end with her." He dropped his blue eyes to his son, placing his hands on his hips. "I hope our little Tyrannosaurus Lex didn't give you too much trouble." The toddler giggled at his father, small hands reaching out for the man to pick him up.

"No trouble at all." Jazz rose to her feet, a smile on her face, as Danny picked up the young boy. It made her a little jealous to see Danny fall so easily into a domesticated lifestyle, settling down and having a child while still being so young. Meanwhile, she still had trouble finding a decent boyfriend, let alone a man she would want to marry and have a child with. She always felt like Danny was the lucky one between them. She might have outshone him in academics, but he had everything that really mattered, and she envied that. But she at least got to share in some of that, so her life wasn't all bad. "I'm a bit concerned about when he goes off to school though."

Danny glanced her way and sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think he'd start showing powers at this age." Dark circles colored under his eyes, and a weariness was etched into his body language. "I've been trying to teach him to control it without much luck so far. He doesn't really have much conscious thought when he uses them. It just happens." He laughed, thinking back on old times. "It's like when I first got them. I thought for sure Mom and Dad would catch on whenever I suddenly vanished or walked through a walk by accident."

"Maybe you should home school him," Jazz suggested. "Just until he gets the hang of his powers."

"I think Sam would only agree to that if you agreed to be the one teaching him." Danny chuckled as Lex rested his tired head against his father's shoulder. "You know I was never all that great in school, and Sam works too many hours in the day to focus on schooling Lex too."

It was very tempting to say yes. Jazz loved spending time with her nephew, and she always enjoyed tutoring other students in high school. "I have my practice though." She frowned at her brother. She also loved psychology and helping people deal with their problems.

"I know. And I would never ask you to give up your dream." Danny turned to his son, poking a finger gently at a pudgy cheek. "So somebody's going to have to keep his powers under control when he's not at home." He gave the boy a stern look, but Lex merely yawned tiredly. "Do you want to stay and eat?" He glanced back over at his sister.

"No, I really need to head back now. My one o'clock will be waiting, and he has abandonment issues, and if I turn up even half a minute late, he has a break down." Jazz stepped over to them and rubbed a hand over the toddler's head. "You be good," she told him. Then with a grin, she ruffled her brother's hair. "You stay out of trouble too." After their goodbyes, Jazz left the comfortable house that Danny and Sam bought together. As she walked to her car, she wondered when she would have that kind of life too.


	29. Trio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Every friendship has a beginning.  
> Characters: Jazz, Danny, Tucker, and Sam

"Come on, Danny," Jazz said impatiently as she tugged on the little boy's arm, pulling her reluctant brother through the halls. "It's not that scary."

"Not for you, maybe," Danny grumbled, trying but failing to dig his heels into the tiled flooring and stop their progress.

Jazz halted and turned around to stare at her brother with his head down and bright blue eyes looking away from her. Even at six, Danny could be as stubborn as any one born in the Fenton family. She sighed tiredly as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "I know exactly how scary it can be on the first day of school. I was scared my first day too. But it's really not all that scary. You'll make friends and start having tons of fun before you even know it. And if you ever need anything, you can always come to me for advice." She turned him and ushered him to the first grade classroom. "I'll see you after school." She gave him a gentle push through the door before heading off to her own class.

Danny hunched his shoulders, almost trying to bury his head in the collar of his shirt with the embarrassing Fenton logo with an F inside a green ghost on the front of it. He hadn't wanted to wear it, but his father practically forced the oversized shirt onto him. His tiny hands squeezed around the straps of his book bag as he glanced around the room already filled with other children his age. _Nope_ , Danny thought to himself, already turning back around to the door.

He barely got one step toward the door when he bumped into someone, their foreheads smacking into each other. "Ow ow ow!" Danny crouched with his hands to his head, rubbing at the sore spot on his forehead.

"No!" cried the other boy. "I was so close to beating my record!"

Danny tilted his head up to stare at the other boy, wearing glasses and a red beret. "I'm sorry," he apologized with a frown. "I didn't mean to."

The boy turned his green eyes down onto him. "Hey, it's okay." He crouched down to put himself at the same eye level as Danny. "I can always try again. I'm Tucker." He stuck out his hand as he grinned widely.

Danny stared hesitantly at the hand before him. "I'm Danny." He shook it as a smile slowly stretched onto his face. Maybe going to school wouldn't be all that scary after all.

"You're in the way."

Both boys turned their heads up to the irate girl standing in the doorway. She had her hands on her hip as her violet eyes glared down at them.

"Now, Samantha, don't be rude." A woman turned the girl's head to her, licking a thumb before she swiped against the girl's face to clean away a smudge of dirt. "How you make such a mess, I'll never know." She sighed as she tugged at the pink dress the girl wore. "You look just like a pretty princess."

"Ugh! Mom!" Samantha groaned, rubbing fiercely at the cheek her mother cleaned. "You're so embarrassing." She folded her arms as she glowered at the woman. "And I don't want to be a pretty princess. I don't need some stupid prince to rescue me."

Her mother laughed awkwardly as she patted her daughter's head. "Try to make some friends. I'll pick you up after school." She kissed the girl on the top of the head before she left the room.

"Ugh, why do parents always do that?" Samantha grumbled before glancing at the two boys still crouching in stunned silence before her. "And it's Sam. Call me Samantha and you'll regret it. Now help me get this stupid thing off. I'm not walking around in this ugly dress all day."

Danny exchanged a confused look with Tucker, who shrugged uncertainly. Thankfully, they discovered after helping Sam get out of the hideous dress that she wore shorts and a T-shirt under it. Sam sighed in relief as she crammed the dress into her bag. Then she grinned at the pair of boys, seeming much happier now that she was wearing comfortable clothing. When the teacher called for her students to find a place to sit, Danny, Tucker, and Sam immediately grabbed desks right next to each other. Danny shared a grin with them. Yeah, maybe school was kind of cool after all.


	30. Free Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: The usual sleepless night and storytelling.  
> Characters: Dash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little pre-Doctor Dash story.

Dash collapsed into his bed, his dark blue eyes drifting toward the clock sitting on the night stand next to his bed. The bluish green numbers glared at him, reading that it two forty-nine in the morning. He sighed as he rolled away to turn his back on the clock and dragged a pillow over his head. Exhaustion clawed at him, trying to drag him into the oblivion of sleep, but he couldn't seem to keep his eyes closed for longer than a few minutes, if that.

A crash of thunder rattled the windows, breaking up the monotonous sound of the rain beating against the house. Frowning, he tugged the pillow away from his head, and when he glanced toward the doorway, he wasn't surprised to see the little six year old boy huddled against the frame with a thumb stuck in his mouth and a stuffed toy clutched to his chest.

"Come here." Dash sat up, waving the boy over to him.

His son hesitated before taking a tentative step into the bedroom. He made it halfway to the bed when a flash of lightning briefly filled the room. Dash barely counted to seven before the thunder rumbled overhead. With a startled cry, the boy dropped into a crouch, abandoning sucking on his thumb to cover his ears from the loud noise. He remained there, quaking as he kept his head low. Dash slid out of the bed and walked over to pick up his son then carried the boy over to his bed.

"It's just a little thunder," Dash told him gently as he climbed back into bed with his son curled up tightly at his side. Sighing, he drew the covers up over them then settled down with an arm around the boy. "I know it's loud, but there's nothing to be scared of. It can't hurt you."

Small hands grabbed at his night shirt, clutching the white fabric tightly. "Can't sleep," Xander mumbled, burying his face against his father's side.

"Do you want me to tell you a story?" Dash stared down at his son, and the mop of raven hair nodded. Sighing, he scratched at his head, ruffling the blond locks as he thought about what stories he remembered off the top of his head. He leaned back, getting comfortable and staring up at the ceiling. Light flashed through the room again, and this time, his count made it to eleven before the thunder struck and Xander shivered beside him.

"Long ago, there was a time when dragons roamed the world, and King Aramull would hire many brave knights to slay them to keep his kingdom safe from their terrible attacks. A young man by the name of Greckle was a mere stable boy, who would clean the stables and feed the horses and make sure all the horses were well taken care of and happy. He worked very hard at his job, but he never felt very satisfied with it. Even though he loved the horses, he always felt like there was something more he was supposed to do with his life."

"Like ride dragons!" Xander tilted his head up with a bright grin on his face, his fear of the thunder seeming to have vanished as he listened to the story.

"You want to tell the story?" Dash grinned as he tickled his son.

"No!" Xander whined as he squirmed and laughed. "You tell it better."

"Well, if you insist. Now. Where was I?" Dash leaned back again, trying to remember where he was in the story. "Oh, right! So Greckle dreamed of doing something amazing with his life." He smiled as he continued to tell the tale of Greckle the Dragon Rider to his son, who slowly began to doze off as he listened to the familiar story.


End file.
